Vocal Music: Mezzo-Soprano

Coloratura Mezzo-Soprano, Marilyn HorneA mezzo-soprano or mezzo (meaning “half soprano”) is a type of classical female singingvoice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contraltovoice types. The mezzo-soprano’s vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above (i.e. A3–A5 in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C4). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the F below middle C (F3) and as high as “high C” (C6).

Marilyn Horne: Cara Sposa from “Rinaldo”

http://maestro68.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2-04-Cara-Sposa-from-_Rinaldo_.mp3Lyric Mezzo-Soprano, Frederica von StadeMezzo-sopranos generally have a heavier, darker tone than sopranos. The mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that of a contralto. The terms Dugazon and Galli-Marié are sometimes used to refer to light mezzo-sopranos, after the names of famous singers. A castrato with a vocal range equivalent to a mezzo-soprano’s range is referred to as a mezzo-soprano castrato or mezzista. Today, however, only women should be referred to as mezzo-sopranos; men singing within the female range are called countertenors. In current operatic practice, female singers with very low tessituras are often included among mezzo-sopranos, because singers in both ranges are able to cover the other, and true operatic contraltos are very rare.